Organization demands Allergan pay for removal of leaking breast implants

Women’s rights organization Bureau Clara Wichmann is demanding compensation from pharmaceutical company Allergan for the company’s faulty silicone breast implants, reported the Volkskrant. The organization wants Allergan to cover the costs for any person who wants the company’s breast implants removed from their bodies, as the implants were linked to the development of lymphoma.

The implants were taken off the market in 2018 when the relationship between silicone implants and lymphoma was established. According to Bureau Clara Wichmann, 52 Dutch women developed a form of lymphoma from breast implants, 70 percent of whom had Allergan breast implants.

“There are also high costs involved for removing the implants and reconstructing the breasts which women now largely have to pay by themselves”, said the chair of patient organization SVS, Marga van Amersfoort.

Bureau Clara Wichmann together with SVS called on women to report faulty implants and enforce compensation. An estimated 60 thousand Dutch women still wear Allergan implants. The organizations want Allergan to not only pay for the surgical removal of the implants but “also financially compensate the pain, suffering and fear that came as a result of the leaking implants.”

The claim could amount to 512 million euros, according to the Volkskrant.

Breast implants can also cause other health problems besides lymphoma. A report by the RIVM on the side effects of breast implants last year showed that there were more complaints in 2019 than in the year prior. The most common side effects were fatigue, joint pain and chest pain, as well as, concertation difficulties and memory loss.